by Mary Maxwell
“And you told her they were from a felt-tip marker?”
“No, no! Of course not! But she’s five, so I thought a demonstration might be helpful. Jared had taken Will and Shep to Garfunkel’s to shop for baseball gloves, so Emma and I were at home doing art projects. Out of the blue, she asked me about freckles. Since she’s a visual learner, I drew a little face on a sheet of construction paper and explained that freckles form when our skin is exposed to sunlight.”
“Okay,” I said, walking over to refill my cup. “How’d the make-believe freckles get from the piece of paper to your face?”
Julia shrugged. “After Emma got bored with drawing, she wanted to watch Frozen again, so we—”
“For the ten millionth time this week?”
Julia laughed. “Fourteenth,” she said. “But who’s counting?”
“Sorry,” I said with a shrug. “I interrupted.”
“That’s okay,” Julia replied. “We went into the living room, I put in the DVD and about two seconds later I fell asleep.” She raised one hand and used it to circle her face. “All of this loveliness was done while I was dozing,” she added. “Ninety-six spanking new artificial freckles drawn with permanent black ink.”
“Who counted them?”
“Jared,” she answered. “When he and the boys got home and I woke up.”
“And what happened to Emma?”
Julia smiled. “Like mother, like daughter,” she said. “After she finished with my freckles, she took the Sharpie into the bathroom and did the same thing to her chubby little cheeks.”
“You can probably get those off with makeup remover wipes,” I said. “Or rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball.”
“Oh, I know.” She smiled. “And we will. But Emma decided that we had to keep them for at least one full day.”
“Because they’re so cute?” I asked, resisting the urge to laugh again.
“No,” Julia said. “Because her father announced that they’re works of art that should be cherished before they’re erased.”
“Sounds like Jared enjoyed the spectacle.”
Julia’s upper lip curled into a stern scowl. “A little too much,” she said. “He took a half dozen pictures before I could grab his phone.”
“Well, that’s not a bad thing,” I said, walking over to get a clean apron from the drawer. “One day, when you’re old and gray, you’ll look back on this moment and smile.”
“We all will,” Julia said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“What did you do, Jules?”
She giggled and blushed. “After Jared fell asleep,” she said, “I went into Emma’s room, borrowed her Sharpie and created my own little masterpiece on the bridge of Jared’s nose.”
CHAPTER 18
Java & Juice was empty when I arrived around four that afternoon. A thirtysomething woman named Tessa was behind the counter juggling oranges and looking bored. She’d joined the staff at the popular beverage shop a few months earlier, and it always brightened my day when she was working.
“Hi, Katie!” she said, quickly depositing the fruit on the counter. “How are you?”
“Thirsty!”
“You want the usual?” she asked. “Or are you feeling lucky?”
I put my purse on the counter. “What do you have in mind?”
“I came up with a new recipe,” she said proudly. “It’s the Yippee Ki-yay Cayenne! It’s got baby spinach, apple juice, roasted beet root, raspberries, banana, chili powder, cayenne pepper and just a whisper of Carolina Reaper.”
I smiled. “Is the last ingredient animal, vegetable or mineral?”
“You crack me up!” Tessa said. “The Carolina Reaper is one of the world’s hottest peppers.”
“Okay, in that case, I’ll take a blueberry and kale, please. Hold the Reaper, both Carolina and Grim.”
She laughed again and started on my order. While she gathered the ingredients, I asked if she’d worked the previous day.
“I’m here all this week from noon until closing,” she said.
“Did you happen to see the blue car getting towed?” I asked. “It was parked right out front.”
She poured almond milk and ice cubes into the blender. Then she added the blueberries, kale and some honey.
“You mean Rex’s car?”
Bingo, I thought. One step closer.
“Yes, actually. It sounds like you talked to Rex Greer?”
She nodded. “He came in and asked if it was possible to call a cab in Crescent Creek,” she explained. “And then he told me all about his missing brother. I felt sorry for the guy, so I let him use the phone behind the counter.”
“That’s sweet.”
“He reminded me of an old boyfriend,” she said. “I’m a pushover for sad sacks and cute men.”
I smiled, but didn’t comment on her self-assessment. I didn’t know Tessa all that well, so I wanted to be prudent.
“How’d you meet Rex?” she asked.
“He came to Sky High,” I said. “Looking for his brother.”
“I hope he finds him really soon,” she confessed. “It hurts my heart when anyone I talk to is feeling blue.”
She whirred the blender for two or three minutes, poured the finished drink into a plastic cup and slapped a lid on the top.
“Here you go,” she said, sliding the finished product and a paper-wrapped straw across the counter. “Can I get you anything else?”
“No, thank you.” I pulled a twenty out of my pocket and handed it to her. “But do you mind telling me what Rex talked about?”
“Bitsy Curlew,” she said, ringing up my purchase. “Do you know her? She teaches yoga over at the Community Center.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know the name,” I said. “And yoga’s not really my thing.”
Tessa smiled. “Mine either. I’d rather eat pretzels than try to become one.” She laughed at full volume, holding her mouth open long enough for me to count three silver-colored fillings. “Anyway, Rex said that he was Bitsy’s cousin from somewhere back east.”
“Like Philadelphia?”
Tessa shrugged. “Got me, Katie. It was fairly busy when he was here, so I missed about half of what he was saying.”
“But he definitely asked you about Bitsy?”
She smiled. “He told me that he’d lost her number and address,” she said. “I guess he wanted to really surprise her, so I told him where she lived on Edgewood Road.”
It struck me as odd that she would share someone’s home address with a stranger, but Tessa was reading my mind.
“He had her picture,” she said. “On his phone.”
“A picture of Bitsy?”
“That’s right. It was the two of them and Rex’s brother with a bunch of other people at a picnic. He started to tell me more about the other people in the picture, but that was about the time that Leroy Bosch and his three sons came through the door.”
I watched as the radiant smile on her face went flat.
“How bad was it?” I asked.
“Don’t get me wrong, okay?” Tessa lowered her voice. “I love kids. But I swear those three boys have tiny horns on their heads and pitchforks under their beds. They’re just mean, Katie. And Leroy hasn’t got a clue about how to handle them.”
“Did they upset any of your customers?”
She nodded. “Sally from the mayor’s office was in with her husband. One of the Bosch monsters started to…” She stopped and her cheeks turned crimson. “Sorry! I meant to say that one of the Bosch boys started rocking on his chair. He was leaning and twirling on just the two back legs. You can probably guess what happened next.”
“He fell over?”
“Right onto Sally’s table,” Tessa said. “And her beet smoothie splashed all over her brand-new dress.” She shook her head, frowning at the memory. “Care to guess the color?”
“Of her dress?”
Tessa giggled. “No! The beet smoothie, silly! Of course, I mean the dress!”
“White?”
“Yep!”
“Did Leroy offer to pay for the dry cleaning?”
“I couldn’t tell you,” Tessa answered. “In the pandemonium that followed, I lost track of him. By the time things were calmer, Leroy and the boys were long gone.”
“He’s actually a really nice guy,” I said. “I’m sure he’ll do the right thing.”
Tessa frowned. “It’s too late, Katie. Those boys don’t have a clue about how to behave in public. Although, with some unruly children, you actually can turn things around if you give them enough love and gentle authority.”
“You’ve got a point,” I said, smiling. “It worked with me.”
“Oh, shoot! I can’t believe you ever misbehaved once in your life.”
I thought of a few sordid childhood tales, but decided to share them another day. I needed to make at least one or two more stops before I headed back to Sky High and time was slipping away.
“Did you try that smoothie yet?” Tessa asked.
“No, but I will.” I sampled the drink. “It’s delicious, as always!”
“Thanks,” she said. “It’s been so dead in here all afternoon. The total opposite of yesterday.”
“Ah, that’s right. Speaking of yesterday, you said that Rex told you he was Bitsy’s cousin?”
“Yep. I think he said they were second cousins on her father’s side.”
“Hmmm. You learn something new every day, don’t you?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “For example, because it’s extra spicy, our new Yippee Ki-yay Cayenne is good for you in so many ways. It benefits your circulatory and digestive systems. It helps prevent migraines, relieves joint pain and has anti-inflammatory properties that are super great for certain problem areas.” She lightly touched below her eyes. “Like the puffiness that so many of us suffer from? One Yippee Ki-yay Cayenne every week will keep your eyes looking dewy and fresh.”
“Well, it sounds like a miracle elixir,” I said. “But I’ll stick to my blueberry-kale combo. And if I do have those awful puffy eye days, I’ve got my own secret remedy.”
Tessa smiled. “Preparation H?”
“No,” I said. “Sunglasses.”
CHAPTER 19
The main office for Crescent Creek Cab Company had moved recently into a small storefront on Rio Grande Street. The change in location coincided with new ownership, a fresh fleet of bright yellow Dodge minivans and a new company motto: From A to B with Quadruple C!
“I don’t get it,” Blanche Speltzer had quipped when she heard the slogan. “Are they driving you around town or trying to teach you the alphabet?”
I’d explained the rationale behind the rhyming catchphrase a few times before she demanded that we change the subject and never again discuss the sale of the longtime taxi company. Blanche remembered the first day that the late Duckie Ralston had opened the doors of his taxi enterprise more than sixty years earlier, and she couldn’t stand the thought of someone else taking over.
I was thinking about Blanche’s friend and her sassy sense of humor when I walked into the front office at the taxi service shortly after leaving Java & Juice.
“Good afternoon,” said the man behind the counter. “Aren’t you Kate Reed?”
He was movie star handsome, with a chiseled jaw, wavy black hair and bright blue eyes.
I smiled. “Yes,” I said. “How did you know?”
“Lucky guess?” His laugh filled the small space. “Actually, one of the drivers was talking about your place earlier. I guess he’s seriously addicted to the pies and scones that you make. He showed me the website, so I just saw your picture a couple of hours ago.”
“Small world, huh?”
He nodded. “Getting smaller every day.”
“Are you Kirby Scott?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I’m Ken,” he told me. “Kirby’s brother.”
“Oh, so it’s a family affair?”
“Not really,” he said with a dazzling smile. “I’m in town for a couple of days to see my big brother’s new business venture. Kirby ran out to get office supplies.”
The two-way radio on a credenza behind his chair crackled with a deep voice. I could only make out a couple of words, but I recognized the person on the other end. It was Stretch Gusenberg, a tall, lanky man who drove a taxi by day and played banjo at night with the house band at Ruby’s T-Bone Ranch, a steak restaurant on the east side of Crescent Creek.
“Do you need to get that?” I asked the man with the luminous smile.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just minding the store so Mona could go down the street for a bite to eat. I bet they’ll call back if it’s important.”
“Is that Mona Burke?”
“Yeah, I think that’s her last name.”
“I didn’t know that she was working here,” I said. “I guess she finally decided to get something to supplement her income from Mary Kay.”
“Who’s that?” Ken asked.
“Mary Kay?”
He smiled, giving me another glimpse of his flawless teeth.
“Mona’s been selling Mary Kay cosmetics for the past few years,” I said. “The last time we talked, she was thinking about changing careers or getting a second job.”
“Is this a step up or down?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“You’ll have to ask her,” I said. “I hope she’s happy no matter which way her answer goes.”
“No doubt,” he said with another dazzling grin. “So? Was there something that I can help you with?”
“Actually, do you mind a quick question?”
“Not at all,” he said. “And I’ll take a slow one, too.”
I smiled at the quip and explained that I wanted to know who drove Rex Greer to his destination the previous day.
“Got me,” Ken replied. “I could probably look at the log.”
“Do you mind?”
He made a face. “It’s not like I’m doing anything important. I’m just keeping the chair warm until Mona gets back.”
I grinned and watched as he spun around to the credenza and grabbed a battered loose-leaf notebook.
“Wow, people still use paper?” I said. “I would’ve thought it would all be computerized.”
“Oh, it is,” he said. “But my brother doesn’t trust technology.”
“He’s not alone. I know plenty of people who wish they could still have a rotary dial phone.”
“Yeah? That seems pretty extreme.”
“It’s a retro thing,” I said, watching as he flipped through the notebook to the last page of entries.
“Remind me,” he said. “What are we looking for again?”
“I’m trying to learn which driver handled a particular fare yesterday afternoon,” I explained. “It was one passenger, and I’d guess that it was around three or four o’clock.”
“Okay, cool. It looks like yesterday was super slow. Most of these things are just about impossible to read, but I can definitely make out the time.” He leaned closer and squinted. “And…here we go! The customer called dispatch at ten before three. The driver picked them up at a place called Java & Juice about five minutes later. And they went to…” He paused, squinting at the hand-written entry for a few seconds. “I can’t read the house number, but it looks like he went to…uh, maybe Edgewater Road?”
“Here in Crescent Creek?”
“Yeah. It looks like Edgewater Road.”
“Could it be Edgewood?” I asked. “Edgewater Road doesn’t sound familiar.”
He held out the register of scribbled information. From where I stood, the series of dots, dashes, arrows and lines looked like a toddler’s handiwork.
“I’ll go with Edgewood,” I said, smiling that it matched what I’d already learned from Tessa. “That sounds about right.”
“Works for me,” Ken said, studying the taxi log again. “If you don’t mind my asking, why are you so interested in where this guy went?”
“Super top secret,” I joked. “I can only tell you that I’m trying to help him find someone.”
Ken closed the notebook and leaned back in his chair. “Aren’t we all?”
I smiled, but didn’t comment.
“I mean, I was dating this really amazing woman for six months, right? And I just knew she was the one, like, marriage and babies and a white picket fence. But then she decided that I was too self-centered because it took me twice as long to get ready in the morning than her.”
“I’m sorry that it didn’t work out,” I said, hoping for the right balance between compassion and courtesy.
“I’m not,” he said, beaming another showy smile. “An hour after we broke up, I went to a casting call for a new Burger King commercial. I got the gig, made enough to pay my rent for the month and met this amazing beauty named Lola.”
“Sounds like it was meant to be!”
“We’ll see,” he said. “She’s driving up from Denver tonight to meet my brother and hang out here with me for a couple of days.”
“That’s nice,” I said. “How long have you and Lola been dating?”
He glanced at his watch. “Eighteen hours, thirteen minutes and thirty-two seconds!”
I couldn’t stop the laugh before it was out of my mouth. “Oh, wow! That is a really new thing!”
He nodded proudly. “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure she’s the one.”
I resisted the urge to laugh again. Then I asked if he’d take another peek at the notebook to get the name of the driver that chauffeured Rex to Edgewood Road.
“For sure,” he said, opening the journal. “It was…um, this looks like it says Rory Thurber. Does that sound familiar?”
“Yes,” I said. “Rory has been driving a taxi longer than I’ve been alive.”
“No kidding?” Ken asked in disbelief. “Who could do the same job for twenty-three years?”
I felt my cheeks redden. “You think I’m twenty-two?”
He nodded. “Isn’t that about right?”
“Well, that’s really sweet, but I haven’t been twenty-two for a long time.”